Over the last decade, the Ball Canning folks have brought a handful of canning appliances to market. The first was the FreshTECH Jam and Jelly Maker in the summer of 2012. The FreshTECH Automatic Home Canning System was the thing during the 2014 canning season. And now, we have the Ball FreshTECH Electric Water Bath Canner and Multi-Cooker.
This electric canner is exactly what I know a number of you have been hoping for. It’s a giant pot that has an independent element so that you can move your processing pot off your stove top and over to the counter.
It holds 8 quarts, nine pints, or a dozen regular mouth half pints (that means that if you stack them, you can process 24 quarter pint jars at once). It’s particularly great if your stove is slow to boil water or if you’ve been warned off canning on a glass top cooktop. It works like any other boiling water bath canner, so if you live at higher altitudes, you will still need to adjust your processing time upwards.
It has a spout on the left side of the canner, so if your kitchen is arranged in a way where you can set the canner to the right of your stove, you can drain the water directly into the sink. The canner comes with a steaming rack as well as a canning rack, so that you can use it for all your high capacity steaming needs (I could see it being perfect for tamale parties).
It can also be used as a portable cooker, so can work for large amounts of soup, chili, or even something like mulled cider. Nice if you help with community potlucks or church suppers.
I’ve now run a number batches of jars through the canner and I am really happy with it. It’s not going to become my primary boiling water bath because I make a lot of small batches and it doesn’t make sense to heat up this much water for two or three pints, but for larger batches, it’s a boon.
It’s also incredibly useful during tomato season and I’ve started bringing it with me to my classes and workshops where I know we’re making multiple batches and so we’ll need more canner space.
This canner does cost $149.99, which is a pretty penny if you already have a canning set-up you like. If you like the idea of moving your canning pot off your stove top but can’t swing that price point, there is a more affordable way to create something similar.
Get yourself an induction capable stock pot (a classic speckled canner with a flat bottom will work) and the induction burner I have (it’s just $60) and you have a canner you can run anywhere (I highly recommend outdoor canning on really hot days).
My bottom line on the Ball FreshTECH Electric Water Bath Canner is that it’s a great tool for people who do lots of large batch canning. If you have the budget and storage space for it, I highly recommend it.
Disclosure: The folks at Ball Canning sent me a FreshTECH Electric Canner for review and photography purposes at no cost to me. They are also provided a giveaway unit. No additional compensation was provided for this post and all opinions expressed are my own.
I have a newer rig that I use on my stove, my grandmother’s was passed to an aunt and Mom doesn’t can. Would LOVE this canner for my teeny-tiny 1920s kitchen!
I have an old water bath canner but I hate to pull it out it is so bulky and when full of water it is very heavy. I tend to make small batches that can fit in a stockpot with a trivet.
I’m using the speckled enamel canner that I got in 1971. There were many years that I didn’t preserve, but for the past several I’ve been back at it. I’m almost through everything I put up last year and I’m eager to get busy again. It would be wonderful to move the heat of the canner outside.
I’m just starting out so winning would be amazing! Im not sure what I’m doing…yet. I did get a water bath canner for Xmas last year and we canned as kids with mom and grandma, but it’s been too many years since then! I’ve recently developed an obsession for gardening and want to preserve what I grow for the cold winter nights! Fingers crossed!
Wow! This does indeed look like a winner.
We have both indoor and outdoor setups. Three burner camp stove outside on an east facing porch, which is great on hot days. Inside is easier, with the sink handy, but either way is great. Theoretically, both could be utilized at the same time.
I have a regular stove top pressure canner/cooker I bought second hand at a yard sale. It works fine, but I have a very old stove I got second hand and the electric burners do not heat evenly most of the time so it is a challenge to keep my canner at the correct pressure consistently. I would love one of these electric units so I could get consistent canning and I could use my stove top while I am canning.
This year has been especially tough, my partner and I had to close our store last august and we have struggled to find adequate employment since then and our gardens didn’t yield well last year.
This year my partner has finally found a decent job but it just barely covers our non-grocery expenses, so I am gardening in earnest this spring in hopes I will have a lot of fresh produce to can up to get us through the coming winter and next spring. This unit would help me immensely.
I use my MeeMaw’s mustard yellow pressure canner and I love it for its sentimental reasons, but this would be awesome to have!
I have an old-fashioned canned, but love, love this system….
i have several different kinds of water bath canners. Black speckled one is fairly new as the old one was used so much it finally rusted and got a hole in it. Would love to see how this works.
I use 2 second hand water bath canners and a pressure canner. I like the water bath canners, but it is difficult to use them at the same time, because of stove top size. A countertop canner would be great!
My canning setup includes a hand-me-down canner that’s seen better days and a set of ball tools that’s proved invaluable!
I use the speckled canners, love to try something new.
I would love one of these! I need to upgrade apparently because I still use the “classic speckled canner with a flat bottom”. It is newer than my mother-in-laws I used to use, at least until I let the kids use it to build a snow fort. I regretted that once I found it again when it melted out of the snow banks.
I use a stock pot for water-bathing, and a friend gave me a version of the British pot her mother used for making jam. Canning outside in the summer sounds like a great idea!
I started canning when I got married 26 years ago. I use many of my Husband’s Grandmother’s recipes. My Father In Law taught me the first year I was married. Since then I have expanded what I make and can. When the garden comes on I am canning everyday. Everyone in the family has their job they do to help. This year I look forward to canning with my daughter and Future Daughter In Law and splitting what we can. This canner would be great as the flat top stoves can’t tame the weight of the pan, water, and jars. I could get twice as much canning done if I have one of these!
That is an awesome canner!!! I currently use the traditional pressure canner for my water bath (take out the stopper on the lid).
I can no longer use my grandmother’s canner because the handle broke and the temperature gauge is inaccurate making it a little dangerous. My grandmother and I used to can together every summer but she is no longer able to because of her health. My greatest gift to give her is not only my time but something that I have canned especially for her. This would make it so much easier if I had this canner!
I am still using my mothers enamel water bath, most of my jars are hers as well. Each year I try a new Jam or jelly. Some work for me some don’t.
I’m just getting into canning and this would be perfect to help me get started.
I have an old fashioned speckled canning pot but a flat top glass top stove that takes forever to get to boiling point. This canner would be wonderful!
I currently don’t do any canning because I don’t have a setup to do it! I’m dying to get into it though, I live preserving foods!
I currently have the worst set up in the world. I have a thicker bottomed stock pot and it takes FOREVER to get the water bath to boil. My mom has promised me her ol’ speckled canner, but this electric canner looks like a DREAM!
When the tomatos come in this would be so awesome! I usually have 2 canners on the stove and jars filling the counter waiting!
I have a speckled pot that I got on scratch-and-dent clearance at Target. It’s ok, but starting to rust where the enamel has chipped. Would love to own this.
Thank you so much for offering this giveaway!
I have a couple of large pots I use for water bath canning, one is considered a “canning” pot. I also have a presto pressure canner.
I have a Granite ware waterbath. the rack is all rusted so I have to use steelwool to clean it. Not a lot of counter space, so an electric waterbath would allow me to can on my kitchen table.
I have a 20 qt stockpot and a presto 16 qt both for my ceramic cooktop. My wife thinks I’m nuts but doesn’t complain about the full pantry that requires no work on her part.
I use two big old canning pots from yard sales. For pickled beets and tomatoes, I go visit a friend in the country and we use a propane burner outside and cycle between two big pots.
I’m using the traditional speckled canning pot but always struggle with having enough room with our limited stove/counter space. This looks like it would be a great solution!
My partner and I have jimmy-rigged a couple of large soup pots with a wire wrack on the bottom. They aren’t nearly big enough for the applesauce addiction I have 😉 One of these would most definitely up the canning ante in our home!
My Mom can no longer can but she used the old fashioned, big speckled pot. I have never canned because I am so scared of not doing it right. With the Fresh Tech, I would feel confident in doing it correctly. We visit Farmer’s Markets all summer and fall and I grow heirloom tomatoes here at home. I have wished for a long time to be able to save some of these goodies for winter meals.
I don’t really have a canning set up. My aunt gave me her old canning pan/pot/whatever but we moved a couple of years ago and I haven’t found the box it’s in yet.
I use an old speckled canning pot but would LOVE to be able to free up a burner, since I usually have multiple pots simmering and boiling at once 😉
I use an All American canner for most of my canning.
I use a water bath pot that I purchased at an auction, it takes up a lot of stove space and cabinet space for only one use.
Just a beginner. Would be outstanding to start out so well equipped.
I have inherited most of my equipment- pots, racks and so many jars. But this canner is SWEET! If it makes my house less hot during the summer all the better. Now, where to put it on my counter when actually canning.. that will be the trick! I’ll figure it out…
I have several canners that I have purchased at auctions. I have one that I use outside on a turkey cooker burner, I agree with you, canning outside on the hot summer days in nice.
I am using an old set up, with items from both my grandmother and mom!
I have a big black speckled enamel pot and I use the plain ol’ gas stove in my apartment…with the A/C window unit blaring! I don’t have a dishwasher, so everything takes a little longer, too. But I feel connected to my grandma and other relatives on that side of the family who used to can in less luxurious conditions, which kind of makes the whole labor-intensive experience more meaningful in the end!
I’m using a large standard issue canning pot, with a metal insert. My husband it for me as part of a canning kit several years ago.
I use a simple flat-bottomed aluminum pot with a cake rack inside. I can fit about 10-12 jars, depending on what size jars I’m canning, but this item sounds like it would allow me to retire that set up (which I’ve been thinking about since I want a flat-topped stove, but am scared of cracking the surface during canning). I will likely switch to a separate burner this summer, when I hope to get a new stove.
I have a glass top stove and was told not to try the traditional canning methods or the glass could break. I have been looking for alternative methods to can and preserve my garden goodies. All of this is a new adventure for me and I am learning as I go. Winning and item like this would truly be a blessing to my household of 7 and help keep food on the table all winter long.
I would love one of these. I teach folks how to can, and one of these would mean I could do that without a stove on site!
A real canning set up has been on my list of things to buy for years. In the meantime, I use my stockpot with a wire trivet in the bottom for small projects or, for larger jobs, I borrow my mom’s older-than-I-am canner. This looks like it would be so much easier than either!
I have a regular old speckled pot, use with a towel in the bottom, and am saving for a pressure canner!
We have the old hand me down looking speckled pot and accessories. Would be nice to have this so we can do more at a time to get the canning done faster than normal. We only have time in the evening to can so it takes us a long time to finish and we end up going to bed too late and then very tired at work the next day. 🙂
When I saw the title of this post and before I started reading it, I thought “oh, that would just be one more appliance I wouldn’t need”. But holy cow, the more I read the post, the more I want one! 🙂 I currently use a traditional water bath canner like my mom always used. It works fine but there are definite drawbacks. With this one, I love the fact that you can do it on the counter instead of one the stove. And I LOVE the spout – I think that’s the best feature!
My husband is a home brewer, so I have plenty of large pots to choose from, but the possibility of moving everything off the stove top sounds fantastic! Thank you for the chance…This would be a real improvement!
I’m using the standard water bath speckle enamel pot too. But I haven’t canned since we moved into a house with the glass stove top! This would be great to have!
I don’t have a canning setup right now because I don’t have the right pots. Getting this system would be an incredible gift to be able to start canning my own healthy foods!
My set up is pretty standard, but this looks like it would make canning very portable – canning party with a friend, maybe?
I’m still fairly new to canning, so I’m using a cheap stockpot that I picked up at a discount store. The electric pot looks fantastic. Thanks for the chance to win.
I have a big ball blue water bath cannner. I love to can big batches, this would be awesome!
Well, I have been saying for YEARS that I want to try canning, but moving multiple times and no longer having a garden – plus, you know, the fear that comes along with not knowing what I’m doing! – keep getting in my way. If I had this, I really wouldn’t have an excuse not to try! 🙂
I have a standard water bath canning pot that came with a basket that I bought a few years back! I am the first in my family to can food and I just love it so much.
I use a huge, much loved stock pot and a blossom trivet.
I use a huge pressure cooker – big enough for hot water bath canning as well as having the element for pressure canning. Has worked well for years but an interested in the electric one, for sure. I wonder if it would make my already hot kitchen more bearable during the summer months when canning.
We use a large stockpot, we would love to upgrade to something like this!
My blue speckled pot came from my parents’ best friends – when she stopped canning, she gave me a shed’s worth of her canning gear. For smaller batches, I make do with a stock pot.
I have one of those classic big enamel canning pots from a hardware store — I bought it during a college internship. I have other pots that I always use for certain things, like the lids and a specific way I like to set up washcloths to set the jars on as they get lifted out to be filled. It’s funny how habitual I am now that I think about it!
I have been using my enameled canner for more than 25 years and would certainly enjoy an easier way to put up my produce.
I have a water bath canner that I picked up at a thrift store.
My current canning set-up is quite sad, actually. I have a super, SUPER, tiny kitchen with a stove right up against the wall and about 15 inches of space to the left, so it makes quite the crowded kitchen when I have the canning pot, my jam pot, the warming lids, the funnel, the jars, the towels, the spoons, the thermometer, the jar lifter….whew! Sometimes I’m amazed I get anything canned at all! Needless to say, this electric one would probably become the darling of the kitchen 🙂
I currently use one of the big black speckled canning kettle with a wire jar holder. It’s functional, but having something more high tech like this product would make the process so much simpler and enjoyable! And it wouldn’t confine me to just my kitchen!
I use my grandmothers water bath canner and my mothers old pressure canner. I have canned every year and share the wealth with my adult children. I grew up helping to can and I have enjoyed making all my fresh items. My daughter needs to carry on the tradition and a new canner would be great for me to give to her as she carries on the tradition!!
I use my grandmothers canning equipment, that is over 70 years old; her canning pressure cooker no longer works. Could use another container to do multiple concoctions at the same time.
Grandma’s pressure canner and a new water bath set up last year. This one looks really nice, too!
I have an electric stove with a glass top. While I have used it to can, I started worrying after I read your article that I shouldn’t. This would solve the problem.
Still using the speckled pot along side that big pressure canner.
I currently don’t have a set up as I don’t have a stove. My electric in my house isn’t right so it doesn’t have enough juice to pull a stove but if I had one of these It would be awesome possum. I could plug it right into the wall.
I have an old speckled water bath canner from the thrift store. I harvest jars from friends and rummage sales (I always inspect before using!) or whenever I can pick them up for cheap.
I’m using a pot that I found at a garage sale right now. I just started canning last year and am looking forward to building on my skills this year with produce from the garden.
WOW! this looks amazing. I use a small old canning pot I got second hand. Finding time for canning is hard and this looks like it could save me from needing to do multiple batches since you can stack jars-that is awesome!
I use bits and pieces to can. I mostly use jars that belonged to my grandmother and aunts. My canning kettle is a really big pot that is used to brew small batches of beer in the off season. I have an employee when the canning volume is high(my husband, and luckily for me he takes his pay in trade 🙂 I would love to have this because it would enable me to do all my jars at once and free up stove space for the next batch!
I just had my grandmothers pressure canner tested and was devastated to learn that the pressure gauge is no longer accurate and there is no way to fix it due to its age! I’m probably going to spend the money on another All American pressure canner but I have to do some research to make sure I get the right size for me (especially considering the cost). The idea of having an electric water bath that I can set up on my buffet and keeping my very tiny kitchen free for other cooking is incredibly appealing and I am going to look into this option instead of continuing to use the pot I have from my great grandmother (my family likes to pass things down).
I use the old school black enamelware pot to WB in. I have a vintage All American type pressure canner that I need to get tested to use this season. This WB canner is amazing. It’s so awesome to see new technology come out for such an old method of preservation.
I’m using my largest stock pot and round cake cooling rack for small batch canning. This appliance looks as if it will allow for larger batches (and more to share with my neighbors).
For larger batches I use my mom’s old speckled stock pot and wire rack, who knows where she got it.
For small batches I use your set up with asparagus pot.
But I have a small galley kitchen with not much space. Would LOVE to can outside!
I use the traditional waterbath canner and do most of my canning outside on gas burners in my carport
I have my Grandmother’s friends large water bath canner and a smaller one that I got at a garage sale. My parents bought me a presto pressure canner a few years ago for my birthday. I share my pressure canner with my mother-in-law. It would be wonderful not to HAVE to use the stove space or to be able to do more jars and get things done quicker!!
I use a large speckled canning pot outside on a propane camp stove, since it’s not recommended to process jars on my glass top electric stove.
This electric water bath canner would be an answer t a prayer for me. I am using a stockpot and trivet now.
Still old school, using Mother’s canning pot!
I have just started learning how to can and I have NO set up. This would be lovely!!!
I usually use a stockpot with a dishtowel folded in the bottom–it’s not ideal, but it’s what I have/can afford. I would love something like this, honestly, because my stockpot isn’t quite deep enough for taller jars…
Hi, My grammy would can after every harvesting a good 50 yrs of a warm water bath in the biggest pot her whole kitchen all summer and fall would be cover with jars , then to to go down in the cold cellar.My grammy would can everything and I carry that from her and glad that she taught me how too.would be nude to make it easier.Thank you for this opportunity to win such a beautiful machine
I have several granite ware pots in different sizes. If I get the new fresh tech waterbath I will retire a few of my older ones. I Love Canning!
I have two large stove top canners, I work a full time job so when canning season comes around I keep two canners going at all times. I could use a third one so I could can more at one time. It’s hard when you work full time and only have so many hours devoted to gardening and canning, but I love gardening and canning and it helps with cost of food, not to mention the food is so much better for you.
i am looking for a new set up. I currently use an old enamel canning pot that is really showing wear. I have a ceramic cooktop and the burner cycles on and off. I do an ok job of regulating the heat, but sometimes boil too vigorously. This would be a nice upgrade since I have to replace my pot anyway.
I use a water bath canner for years. This new canner looks awesome and much easier to use.
I use my great grandmother’s canner, plus I purchased a new American canner last summer. I love to can as a hobby, plus the food from canning is so much better than what you buy in the grocery store. I’m glad to see that this is not a lost art.
Love, love, love this. I’d can for days with one of these. Happy
Right now I am using a stock pot but I am in the market for something new.
This electric canner would be a fantastic upgrade from my old stockpot and trivet.
I’ve only canned with friends at their home. I have nothing of my own. This would be a great start.
I am using a set up pased down to me from my wonderful mother-in-law who has taugh me the art of canning.
Wow! That electric canning system is sweet! Since I started canning a few years ago, I have collected several large stock pots from garage sales, estate sales, and flea markets. Because they were inexpensive, I’ve had the chance to play with them, to pick out the ones that are best for different purposes. And for Christmas this past year my precious husband ordered me a red silicone trivet to put in the bottom of my pots. He even helps me search for cool jars and gadgets. I think he likes the stuff I can!
i have an old black speckled pot and am very new to canning. Excited to get started.
I lost my original, huge pressure canner while moving 11 years ago. Now that we have a large piece of property for gardening, I would like to begin canning again. This water bath canner would be a great addition to my kitchen!